The law clinics at Law Faculty of Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilendarski” were established in 1998 by Prof. Dr. Tsvetana Kamenova. The main objectives were training of Law Faculty students as practitioners and teaching legal knowledge to non-lawyers.

This is a peculiar form of training that enables he students to gain practical expertise and skills in law during their education.

The name “clinics” is directly adopted from the USA, where this form is widely spread and works exceptionally well with the most prestigious US universities. The term “clinical training” means training and work in real environment. Similarly to the medicine training, where the essential part is undertaken in hospitals and clinics, the students of law must have the opportunity to gain practical skills during their university education.

This academic year there are 7 clinics:

“Legal Protection in Criminal Cases”

“Drafting Acts of Prosecution”

“Drafting Acts of Court in Criminal Cases”

“Legal Protection in Labour Cases”

“Legal Protection of Consumers”

“Non-Profit Legal Entities”

“Teaching Legal Knowledge to Non-Lawyers”

Some 70 third- and fourth-year students are trained there.

In the clinics the students acquire practical skills and expertise under the supervision of a professor and attorney, judge or prosecutor. They are trained how to operate as attorneys, judges or prosecutors; how to draft the acts of Court or Prosecution. So-called “attorney clinics” provide qualified legal aid to underprivileged clients. The students work on real cases supervised by professor and attorney.

The legal clinics at the Law Faculty of Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilendarski” are the only ones in Bulgaria, where the training of the students is included in the curriculum of the Faculty and the evaluation is accounted in the student`s diploma.

The cause and activity of the legal clinics are enormously supported by the legal society in Plovdiv – court, prosecution and bar.